Royal Thorns
by Zilleniose
Summary: [AU, dark] For years, Danny has been fighting ghosts, barely keeping his secret from his friends. But when a battle with Pariah Dark leaves Danny with more than he bargained for, he starts to become feared even more than the infamous Ghost King. [DxS]
1. Advent

Hello, all! This is Zoey! Yes, I'm taking on yet another project…. but hey, this is fun. –Evil grin-

If you've been reading any of my other works, such as Remordere (Holy cow, over 300 reviews! O.O ), or Thicker than Blood, you may be in for a different ride. Yes, yes I know. Everything else I write is different to begin with. But whereas my (and ChibiSamiSala's) other works tend to be revolved around romance, this one is more based around a dark atmosphere, and the oh-so interesting affects of negative psychology. IE, mental breakdowns and the result of psychological barriers.

This story was co-written with Becky (AKA DiscordianSamba), as a raw RP file. Once again, I'm stuck with the editing. I'm thinking maybe if I'm not the one who creates the plot, I won't be forced to do that… Oh well. xD

Anyway, you can all rejoice, because this is a DxS story. It's a little morbid at first (Much like Remordere), and it may not be too clear, but it shall be DxS all the way. Joy!

But for now, there are two points you need to consider while reading:

All our main characters are juniors now, meaning Danny's had his powers for a little over two years.

The only person who knows about Danny, is Jazz.

Other than that, everything's pretty much the same. Or, at least it was until the almighty prologue came to be. Can we all say angst? GOOD!

Now it's time for the show ;D

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_Prologue_

Power.

Power was a fickle thing, for ghosts and humans alike. It constantly moves, changing throughout history, flipping through the pages of a book, and sometimes being the one responsible for ripping them straight from the bindings. Distribution has certainly never been it's strong point, neither was obscurity – and yet, no one could predict the flow of its path.

As little as a century's time, the scales can be tipped at cosmic proportions. Even in a controlled Democratic society, no one could be too careful… especially since human weren't the only ones that desired power.

For thousands of years, ghosts have been little more than a monarchic society, fear and respect binding the residents to one lord… Pariah Dark.

Of course, humans feared the specter as well, but a sort of ease had fallen throughout the nations of the world, all because of one ancient artifact that had been founded around the year of 200 BC. A scripture, carved in stone, with the niches of every letter glowing an ethereal green.

"_No matter how powerful a king, the Ghost King shall never be able to lay a ruling fist on the world of the living."_

At least, that was the rough translation. But it seemed to be plausible, since there has never once been an uprising concerning the dangerous spectral bodies, even if there were quite a few that rebel and cause terror on earth – but never anything on a national, or for that matter, global scale.

For as long as Pariah Dark ruled, the worlds of the living and dead were forever at a fragile standstill, one never able to move too far past that line of power. But then again, fate always did have a twisted sense of humor, didn't it? At least, that's what Danny believed.

Two years since the accident when he was fourteen, Danny Fenton knew he had remarkable potential as a half-ghost, easily defeating elder specters that threatened to upset the peaceful life of his city. Ghosts were always a constant threat in Amity Park, so he for one was a glad that there was finally someone to set the score straight for humans. After all, he wasn't obsession-prone, or had a temper like the others full ghosts… at least, not quite.

His hero-complex (Though he would deny he had no such thing), lead him to protect the city at all costs, while still being able to keep his identity as a ghost a secret, with the exception of his older sister, Jazz. Many times he would return home at night, battered from his patrol across the city, and she was the only one he could turn to for comfort. She would tend his wounds, lecture him about how rash he could be, but most of all she would be his confidant. And because of that, and only that, Danny hadn't fallen into a dangerous anxiety that could have taken over all sense of rational thinking and make him into yet another deadly specter with an unparalleled hate for humanity.

16-year-old Danny was sure life would always be the same. He would always protect the town, he would always be triumphant, and he would always be able to find some normalcy by living the life of a teenager. Having friends like Tucker and Sam helped with that part greatly, though he still couldn't bear to tell them he was technically half dead.

Consistency… that was what he hoped for. But those dreams were quickly shredded when he stared eye-to-eye at the largest threat he could ever imagine.

Pariah Dark was threatening to break the silent covenant the scriptures told, and wished to bring all of earth to the ghost zone… starting with Amity Park – the one city with the most concentrated spiritual energy in the entire globe. Of course, Danny rose to try and stop him…. But he never expected something like this to happen. In a burst of emotional rage, he had single-handedly brought Pariah's forces to a standstill, making his entire hometown a battlefield between the most powerful specter ever documented, and a young boy with more determination that anyone could have seen. They scarred the city and land around it during that battle… but Danny had done the unthinkable.

He had won.

In turn for his efforts, he was granted the ability to succeed Pariah Dark, gained the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire, including all the power that came with it…. As well as the burn marks of thorns along his wrists and ankles, something that apparently Pariah Dark has adorned, much to his dismay. He was the new ghost king. But the prophets could have never foreseen the counter affects it held. Since "Danny Phantom" was indeed half human as well, (Much to the surprise of Amity Park – as well as the world), his rule not only bled throughout the ghost zone, but on the world of the living as well.

Enforcers of the new Ghost King aligned the humans at every point in every nation, and within days, dread filled the minds of every person as they soon realized, they were under rule of the one ghost who killed Pariah Dark.

Danny of course slipped into denial, doing his best to force his spectral subordinates to flee from earth, but no avail. The damage had already been done… every human on earth now held an overwhelming fear of Phantom, their new king. And poor Danny Fenton tried to ignore it as best he could, and even went back to school not days after the destructive battle. He did his very best to hide his inner turmoil, and went back to being the clueless, shy junior everyone knew him as. Of course he was questioned at first as to why he started wearing black wrist cuffs, but he passed it off as Sam's fault, that maybe he was simply turning a little Goth. No one ever suspected Danny of being Phantom, even though the world was in an up rise to find the identity of their new half-ghost king.

But, with the amount of responsibility and power Danny held, it was only a matter of time before his seemingly peaceful life would come to an end….

Because power was a fickle thing.

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Chapter One

_Advent_

Footsteps drug down the hall from the Casper High main entrance, students gathering in the commons area off towards the center of the school. The bell for first period wasn't set to ring for another eight minutes... maybe he can take a nap until then. Trudging along, the raven-haired boy slowly made his way to a table at the corner of the commons, before he slumped down in a chair, looking positively exhausted. "Hey Tuck," He raised a hand, motioning to a dark-skinned boy of his age, playing with a PDA. "Whoa, Sam..." He blinked a few times, looking a little more awake as he spotted the Goth girl sitting beside him. "Your parents actually let you outside? They've kept you at home for five days now..."

The Goth girl laughed slightly, shaking her head. "I finally managed to convince them to let me out." She gave him a half-smile, one could almost tell from her voice that it had been from a lot of speaking on her part. "I know they probably mean well... but... there's a certain point where parents should draw the line on how much they want to protect us."

Tucker glanced up briefly from his game. "Yeah. My parents were pretty freaked too. I think everyone is."

Danny didn't say a word, his gaze shifting away from his two friends momentarily before he finally found the courage to speak again. "Hey, it's not so bad." He said with a half-hearted smile. "I mean, I'm sure once the initial shock sinks in, everything will be back to normal."

Sam arched an un-believing eyebrow. "Danny, we're now under the rule of a king. Not only that, but we're under the rule of one that's half-ghost." She shook her head, leaning back in her chair slightly. "And we've all been shown over and over what power does to ghosts." Besides him, Tucker nodded in agreement.

"Come on guys." His voice hinted at a strangled emotion, almost as if they struck arrows in his chest with their words. "I mean, sure, it seems bad now, but... there are plenty of people out there who seem confident Phantom won't do anything horrible. I mean, he did spend two years protecting this town..." He paused, catching his breath and swallowing, his gaze returning downwards again. What was he doing, sticking up for himself? There was no way he could convince any mass of people not to be afraid of the situation. Hell, he couldn't do that when he was plain old simple "Danny Phantom". "You know, forget I said anything." He added quietly.

Tucker and Sam exchanged a look with each other briefly, worriedly looking back down at the raven-haired boy. There was no denying that Danny had been acting a bit... odd ever since all of this had happened. In some ways, it wasn't all that surprising, considering that he was the son of two of the town's most prominent ghost hunters. They could only begin to imagine how the rest of the Fentons were reacting to this news...

"Danny..." Sam looked at him, her voice soft. "You know, if there's anything that you need to talk to us about, that we're here for you, right?" She asked, Tucker nodding to the side.

He laughed softly, almost as if it was painful to. It was a little late for that, not wasn't it? By now, he'd do more harm than good. "It's nothing, guys. It's just been a little hectic around my house, my parents going ballistic, mom trying to keep dad from going out and "tearing that ghost kid apart molecule by molecule". You know how it is."

Well, that and the fact that he not only had to patrol Amity Park for any wandering ghosts that disobeyed his rule to stay clear of his home town, but he also had issues in the ghost zone... most of which he's trying to forget. Like Skulker pledging his allegiance to him. Awkward situation, that was...

"Yeah, we've been to your house." Tucker grinned, slapping his friend lightly on the back. "I can only begin to imagine how much worse it is than usual. Wish you luck."

Sam nodded vigorously. "Yeah. In a way, your parents are the closest to this all. At least my parents let me have a moment's peace..." She muttered something under her breath then about it only being a moment's.

Much to the raven-haired boy's dismay, the bell for first period rang, and all the students in the commons began to slowly filter out into the halls and into classrooms. He never was able to take that 8-minute nap... god he needed some sleep. "Aw shit." He groaned, grabbing his backpack. "I never did that paper for Lancer... god, does that guy have any sense of compassion? Three days back at school..."

"Probably not, dude." Tucker shook his head. "A little thing like a ghost invasion and all of humanity being put under the rule of Phantom wouldn't stop him from giving you a failing grade."

"Mmff." He made a grunting noise that sounded none too pleased as they walked down the halls and into their English classroom - which much to his dismay, was still a little more empty than it usually was. It seemed as though every other family in Amity insisted on moving, or kept themselves locked up in their homes, like Sam's parents. As if he didn't have enough strain on his conscience. Every passing day seemed to scream that he was having the opposite influence on Amity than what he had hoped... and what he became a hero for. He would have thought two years of protecting this town would have earned at least a second thought about him becoming an evil ghostly dictator...

"Cheer up, Danny. I'm sure life could be a lot worse." Sam offered with a smile, giving her friend a light pat on his shoulder. "Chances are, Mr. Lancer will at least let you do an extra credit project to make up the points you lost later. So don't let it stress you out."

"Nahh, I won't let it get to me." He gave her a weak smile, still feeling awfully tired. "It's just like ever since Freshman year. I'm actually kind of glad there's still a sense of normalcy around here, even if it is from an overweight English teacher." True to his words, Mr. Lancer never seemed to give Amity Park's latest predicament much thought, though he made a few mandatory announcements, he's never seemed too concerned about the whole ordeal. Danny just wished he knew if it was because his bald teacher was one of the few believers in Phantom, or he just didn't want to cut any of his students any slack.

She gave him one of her rare meaningful smiles, before she turned away, entering the classroom.

Tucker grinned, eyeing Danny as she walked ahead of them, nudging him, raising his eyebrow. "So Danny, when are you going to tell Sam that you have the hots for her?" He pestered his friend, a playful look in his eyes. Oh, he knew how both of them felt about each other deep down.

The raven-haired boy blushed brightly, giving Tucker an incredulous stare. "Tuck, now's really not the time..." He mumbled, trying to cover up his embarrassment, or lack of enthusiasm. Yes, the poor boy had developed a crush on the Gothic girl ever since Freshman year, but... how could he even get close to flirting with a relationship with Sam ever since this whole upset? If he ever got too close with anyone, it would only be a matter of time before someone found out about his ghostly half. That, and if by some odd twist of events, Sam returns his feelings, he doubted he would be able to keep any kind of secret from her. And there in lies his downfall. "There's just too much going on, you know?"

Tucker simply arched an eyebrow, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't get you, Danny. You've been crushing on her since we were freshmen, and you got over that thing you had for Paulina." He shook his head. "Seriously dude, if now's not the time, then I don't think you're ever going to have any time."

His blue eyes gazed at the floor with a hint of pain and hesitance, before he took in a breath and walked into the classroom. "I know." He replied quietly, but he knew the African American would hear him above the noise in the classroom. "Right now is just... really complicated. I'm not sure you'd understand."

Tucker frowned, looking with worry at his old friend. "Danny, is there really something going on at home? I know your folks must be freaking with the whole Ghost King situation..." He paused, biting his lip. "But... there's nothing else, right? I mean..." He let his words drop, not wanting to speak them.

He turned to look at his best friend, before taking his seat at the desk at the back corner of the room. "Nothing, it's just... I guess everything that's causing me stress is just piling up one on top of another. Not doing much good for me." He inwardly bit his lip, praying to god that the perceptive boy wasn't able to connect the dots. He just had to make it through high school, then he could leave if he really needed to. But please god, not yet. "That, and I'm not getting much sleep at night with my parents making a racket. Really Tuck, you're worrying a little too much."

"Alright, settle down class!" Mr. Lancer's voice boomed over the disruptions in the junior English class, slamming his book down on his desk. "I'm going to need those papers I assigned yesterday up on my desk. If you would come up by rows, we can get that done and start with our next lesson. Everyone get out your textbooks."

He sighed. "Allright, if you say so, Danny. You know if you need a good night's sleep, you can always come to my place, right?" He offered him, as he took his own seat. Sam looked between the two, before she followed Mr. Lancer's instructions, pulling out her literature book.

"Uh... yeah. Thanks Tuck." He gave him a nervous smile, before covering up his nervous look by trying to look intense with today's lesson, flipping the pages right after he opened his book. Half the class got up to turn in their papers, but a good chunk of them didn't. Well that's a good sign. Maybe Lancer will extend the due date...

"This is atrocious, people!" The balding teacher gave his class a rather miffed expression as the ones that stood up began to slowly filter back into their seats. "Those papers were due today, and I don't want to hear the same excuse." He paused, watching the stressful looks the kids were giving him and the floor, some of them muttering under their breaths. "Nothing has changed since the ordeal with Phantom, and as long as you continue to come to school, I expect the same amount of work ethic out of you."

Sam had been one of those to turn her papers in, having ample time to do so while locked up at home. Tucker, however, had not, having come to a silent agreement with all his teachers since school had begun- he would slack off on take-home assignments, but he would always make up for it with well-done class work and tests.

Danny, on the other hand, was utterly doomed.

The supposed "Ghost King" dropped his forehead to his desk, groaning in disbelief. Somehow, being half ghost just got a lot more complicated... and it wasn't that easy to begin with. "I'm never gonna make it out of high school." He mumbled with a weary voice.

Sam gave him a soft, reassuring pat on his back, smiling at him. "How about next time we have a project, we can all go to Tucker's and work on them together?" She offered, Tucker nodding beside them. It would have to be Tucker's house that they went too, of course, since the last time Danny was over at her place, her mother nearly wound up having a heart attack when she found that, all tuckered out, the three of them had collapsed together on her oversized bed and fallen asleep.

"That's sounds nice." He gave them a tired smile. Well, at least he had solid friends that would stand by him. They all knew his house wouldn't be safe for another few weeks minimum, and frankly, Sam's parents despised him. He figured they've probably seen a few of their 'blushy moments', as Tucker dubbed them. At least Tucker's parents were somewhat normal.

English class went by relatively smoothly, and miraculously, Danny was able to stay awake through the entire lesson. Well, if he wasn't awake now, he was going to be, since next period was fitness class... yet another eccentric teacher that refuses to cut her students any slack just because Pariah Dark showed up and almost tore Amity Park off the face of the earth... though Danny admitted he took an equal share of the blame for the collateral damage. Next period, Tucker and Sam seemed to continue their worried glances towards him, obviously getting the hint that something was wrong. He would for the most part, try and smile as best he could and give them the closest thing to a valid excuse. The variety of which were definitely becoming thin. Not that dodge ball helped any... considering Dash and some of his A-list buddies refused to take time off their consistent bullying - IE, foam basketballs to the face. Had he gotten any sleep the night before, he probably would have lot that last bit of control over his sanity and would have beaten the guy black and blue with an onslaught of exercise equipment. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Er, so he hoped.

'I just have to survive the rest of the week.' He told himself. 'Then everything will be smooth sailing…'

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Wheehoo, chapter one! Wow that was hard to find a stopping point. The next spot I found would have ended up making this chapter twice as long, literally. I think six pages will suffice for now. Didn't want to bore you all to death.

Next chapter will be updated along with Remordere and Thicker than Blood. Ooh, and it's a good one. –Evil laugh- I told you this was going to be dark, and it will be. And there shall be some Dash bashing. Muahahaha!

So until next time, y'all

Zoey


	2. Suspicions

Happy Friday everyone! Here's a special treat for you. ;D Chapter two! Yay!

…… Oh don't give me that look. And you! With the funny glasses! Don't call me a cheapskate! Even if it _is_ true.

Anyway, thank you so much everyone for all the wonderful reviews. DiscordianSamba and I are overjoyed:3 We're so glad our little baby is getting such positive feedback.

So here's the next chapter, y'all. Prepare for Dash bashing. Or at least, making him wet himself. ;D

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Chapter Two

_Suspicions_

The locker room, by the time Danny and Tucker arrived in it, was already crowded with other people, including the self-proclaimed King of Casper High himself. The blond jock, as it was, had already gotten dressed out into his gym clothes, and eyed Danny with slight amusement before murmuring something with Kwan.

Danny just sighed as he caught sight of the two taller boys giggling at him like a pair of school girls about to pull a prank. 'Immature.' He thought to himself, before gathering his clothes into a small bag and setting them on the bench. He didn't want to risk being seen in the showers... or even without a top on. He had multiple scars, some almost two feet long, and other unearthly-looking wounds. Not to mention the set of burns around his ankles and wrists that were in the shape of thorns... any one of those points would have been a dead giveaway about his ghostly alter-ego. "Go ahead Tuck, I've got to talk to Ms. Telstaff about something. I'll probably be a bit late to next hour." He waved Tucker on, before grabbing his bag and slipping into one of the secluded bathroom stalls to wait out the crowd. To hell with being late next period, he wasn't going to risk it.

Tucker nodded. "Sure, I'll make sure to tell Mr. Folucca." He said goodbye to his friend before he hurried on, catching up with Sam and exchanging a few brief words with her.

About fifteen minutes later, the locker rooms fell silent - thankfully there was no new class next period. Hesitantly, Danny snuck out from the bathroom, peeking around to make sure no one else was there. Then he leisurely went to one of the shower stalls and closed the door, discarding every piece of clothing and hanging them on the metal door. He sighed and turned on the water to a lukewarm temperature (ever since he became half ghost, he didn't do well with anything too hot considering his body temperature dropped to an abnormal level), and stood there, back to the showerhead as he began to scrub his body down with soap.

Unbeknownst to the new ghost king, a certain self-proclaimed 'King of Casper High' had left behind his all important gym bag. Cursing under his breath, Dash entered back into the locker room, mumbling about how his teacher would have it in for him if he was late for class again. He paused, looking around curiously, hearing the sound of a running shower. Class was long over, so why was someone still here?

Danny unfortunately hadn't noticed him, eyes closed as he rinsed off the shampoo on his head, pulling back his raven colored hair with a sigh. Thanks to his thoughts being so overrun by the anxiety of the daily events, he hadn't even heard the faint creaking of the shower stall's door.

Dash frowned, arching an eyebrow. Fenton? Why the heck was... wait. He paused, his eyes locking onto the sight of his bare wrists, something that no one had seen even once in the past few days. The crown of thrones there... he had seen them someplace else. It didn't' take him long for him to put two and two together, even if he wasn't the sharpest tack in the box. Stumbling backwards, he made an attempt at a quick retreat.

Danny's eyes snapped open the moment he heard the hasty shuffling of feet, before he looked up, facing paling with horror as he noticed that the door to his shower stall was almost completely open. Not that it was a problem, no... no one was in the locker ro- oh. SHIT. "_D-DASH_!" He practically screamed in an octave higher than normal, body completely frozen in place as wide blue eyes caught sight of the stumbling blond jock.

"I always knew you were a freak, Fenton, but I didn't know you were _this_ much of one!" The blonde jock got out before he turned, quickly fleeing the locker room. Oh, did he have to tell someone about this...

Danny stood there for a while longer, the water starting to run a bit cold, before he blinked once, twice... before he shakily reached for his towel and turned the water off, drying himself quickly before pulling his clothes on, face almost white. Once he was done, he took quick yet shaky steps towards the bathrooms, before flinging a door open, and promptly threw up. 'Calm down, calm down...' He kept repeating in his mind, as the minutes ticked by and his stomach began to churn with agony. He was already on the verge of a nervous breakdown before he came to school... And even though he knew Dash wasn't that much of a threat, he was extremely influential. At most he'll get teased for this, since everyone knows how Dash likes to blow stories out of proportion, but... he was truly scared that someone with a brain might begin to catch on. Like Tucker, or Sam. _Oh god_... here we go again. He lurched forward and emptied whatever was left from his stomach, his anxiety finally taking it's toll. This wasn't good... he would have to find Dash before word spread. He quickly stood to his feet, wiping his mouth clean and hastily grabbed his bag. There was no way he would let a slip up like this ruin his life.

Minutes later the raven-haired boy entered the classroom, noting how Mr. Folucca looked none too pleased to see him late, but it seemed Tucker's warning in advance saved him for being checked as tardy. With a perfectly feigned embarrassed look, he nodded and apologized to the elder man, before he walked down the rows of desks, a clearly determined look aimed at Dash as he walked past him. He just hoped he wouldn't say anything before class ended...

Dash looked back at him, the expression on his face mixed. If he was right, then he might very well have much to fear but... come on... Now that he thought about it, it was Danny Fenton. The guy who he could still cram into his own locker even though he was a senior. He was sure he had nothing to worry about, and so he turned around, mumbling something under his breath to Kwan.

"What did you have to speak to Mrs. Tetslaff about, Danny?" Sam asked with mild curiosity, looking over at her old friend.

He blinked out of his dangerous gaze towards Dash, aware with the fact that he was now whispering to Kwan. "Oh, ah..." He fumbled with his words, but managed to keep them quiet. "I just had to tell her that I wasn't feeling well... and asked her if I could sit out of tomorrow's activity. She said no, though."

Sam let out a slight tsking sound, shaking her head. "That's typical of her. She always thinks we're lying, even if we hurl in front of her." She sighed. "I honestly don't see how a woman like that managed to become a gym teacher at all."

"Yeah," He faked a laugh, shaking his head. "Well, I'll just have to make sure I get plenty of rest tomorrow... maybe I'll feel better."

"Like I offered before, you can spend the night at my house if you need a good night's sleep." Tucker suggested.

"Ahh, no thanks." He gave his friend an assured smile. "I'm sure my parents want me home. Thanks though."

"And I'd imagine your parents would pretty much freak if you just didn't come home." Sam commented, leaning back slightly in her seat. "Remember that one time we went to the Nasty Burger without telling your parents first? They thought that ghosts had broken into their house and kidnapped you."

"Sam, that was the beginning of freshman year." He laughed. "I'm sure they would understand normally... but with everything that's going on, I'm sure they want to be positive I'm alive and in one piece." He glanced back towards Dash, noting that he had stopped talking, but it looked like Kwan was busy writing something. Goddammit... why can't those two wait until after class?

"I guess I can understand that." She sighed, slightly depressed herself. "I'm sure my parents want me to come straight home after school too. My father nearly had a hernia when my mother agreed that I really should come back to school."

"Ha! I can see that." He grinned, shifting his hands to his lap once he noticed they were still shaking. Damn it, he needed a vacation. Maybe he'll play hooky and return home complaining he's sick... damn but then Dash will spread god knows what around the school.

Sam frowned, noticing this. "Danny... If you're really sick, you know, I can walk you to the nurse's office." She offered quietly, exchanging another worried look with Tucker. Danny had acted odd on occasions before... but these days, his unusual behavior seemed to be becoming more frequent.

"No, I-"

"Ms. Manson! Mr. Fenton!" Falucca bellowed, giving the two teens near the back of the room an annoyed look. "Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"

"Umm... No, No, Mr. Folucca." Sam shook her head. "Sorry..."

The elder teacher just gave them a sigh and rolled his eyes, a few snickers being heard among students. "The lovebirds are at it again." Some of them teased. Danny just blushed and slumped over in his seat, looking away from the gothic girl. This was going to be a long period...

---

The school bell finally rang, signaling the end of, what was indeed, a very long period. Dash and Kwan had largely stayed silent for the rest of it, but in a manner that didn't exactly make one comfortable... No doubt the two were planning something.

"Hey," Danny motioned to Sam and Tucker as they made their way down the halls towards their lockers. "I'm going to stop by the nurse's office... so don't wait up for me for the next class." He gave them his best encouraging smile, while still holding a very fatigued look. Hopefully they'd buy it...

Once again, the two friends exchanged a look, but nodded slowly. They knew that pushing Danny to talk about what was wrong would do now good. Sam smiled at him. "All right Danny. We'll see you later, I hope."

"Right." He smiled and waved back at them, before making his way down the opposite hall, his expression melting into that of a determined one. He shuffled his way through the crowds during passing period, before he finally spotted the blond jock hanging out with a few of his friends near the commons. "_Dash_." He said through gritted teeth, doing his best to keep a level look and steady voice.

The blonde jock merely arched an eyebrow, looking almost amused that Danny had for once, sought him out. Part of him, however... part of him was just a bit worried. But he would never show that part in front of his fellow football team members, now would he?" "Fentonio." He said simply. "To what do I pay the honor of your visit?"

"I need to talk to you." He said in a stern voice, blue eyes flashing green momentarily. "In _private_."

Now Dash's heart did skip several beats, but he held still onto his bravado. "Oh, the little wimp thinks he's about ready to grow some backbone." He sneered at him, though it was clear to anyone who looked closely that he was faking his bravery. "Well, why don't you tell me what you have to out here, Fentina?"

"_Don't make me repeat myself_." He completely avoided the jock's little attempt at tact, his voice oddly cold, even if he still had to look up an inch or two at the taller boy. A few of Dash's friends whistled and laughed, finding it amusing how suddenly Danny Fenton thought he could push Dash around.

"And what will you do if I do?" Dash shot back, gathering up all the courage he could from his years of bullying him. Of course he would win if anything happened... he always had, hadn't he? The fact that Danny never really fought back never even occurred to him.

Danny clenched his fist, before reaching up and grabbing the boy roughly by the collar, pulling him forward so that he could hear him, eyes blazing a deadly emerald light. "Because if you _don't_," He hissed, making sure no one else could hear him. "I'll _incinerate_ you within an inch of your life. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Baxter?"

And that was it. All of Dash's bravado melted away at those sight of those eyes, at the sheer menace in that voice... He gulped, nodding slowly. "R-right... Guys, um... Give me a second." He murmured, gathering up back some of his bravado, praying that his image wasn't ruined forever. "I should humor him..."

The raven-haired boy let out a breath and released Dash's collar, his eyes fading back to normal before anyone else could notice. "Thanks," He put on a perfectly believable smile, brimming with sincerity. "We'll only be a minute, boys." He then grabbed the blonde's wrist and tugged him along, pulling him down one of the staff hallways that were currently deserted.

Dash bit his lip, chewing on it nervously. "What _are_ you?" He managed to spit out, hearing his heart pound a mile a minute.

"Oh, so you _didn't_ see?" He replied back in a solid tone, before bravely holding up his hand and pulled the black wristband down, revealing the familiar thorn-shaped burns. "Your clueless facade will get you nowhere this time, I'm afraid. I am _not_ going to play along with your little dominance game any longer."

Dash's mouth merely hung open, not knowing what to say. It was probably a full two minutes before he shut his mouth, gulping and merely nodding. What had he gotten himself into? Danny Fenton... was _Phantom_. Phantom was the Ghost King. _Shit_.

"_Now_," He slid the wristband back in it's proper place, perfectly setting up a calm air around him, hopefully making Dash think twice about doing anything rash. "I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I don't want you telling _anyone_ what you saw. And if you think you can pull your 'bully jock' character on me, by all means, try it. But I won't guarantee your safety." His eyes glared daggers into the boy's skull, once again flickering a dangerous emerald shine.

He nodded rapidly, so quickly, one might actually think his head was going to fall off. "Y-yes. I won't tell anyone else, I promise!"

"Good." He closed his eyes momentarily, his voice suddenly lifting as he gave Dash a bright smile, completely covering up his previous emotions. "Glad we had this chat." He patted the boy on the chest, before stepping out of the hallway and stuffing his hands in his pockets. The bell rang for next class, and soon the crowded halls slowly began to dissipate. He paused for a moment and looked back at Dash, who still seemed to wear an utterly terrified expression. "Don't want to be late, do you?" He asked in a mock concerned voice.

The jock worked his mouth, nothing but a squeak coming out, so he just nodded, and quickly hurried off. _Oh God..._

---

The day surprisingly went by rather quickly, seeing as Danny was able to get in a few naps during the later classes - though most of which were cut short by the teacher either smacking him upside the head, or slamming a book on his desk. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any rumors about him, and Dash continued to look scared enough to where it seemed like Danny could deduct that his lips were sealed. But god... what had gotten over him? He had never been that forceful around anyone, save for maybe Vlad, or the deceased Pariah Dark. Maybe it was the stress, or lack of sleep, but... he felt as though he was so much more easily agitated than before, that every little thing caused rage to bubble up inside of him. What if Tucker was right...? What if power like he had really could change a ghost? 'I can't think like that.' He told himself as the bell ending sixth period rang through the school, signaling the end of the day. 'I'm me, and I always have been. Nothing's going to change that.' He took in a deep breath, and smiled towards Tucker and Sam. He had ended up telling them that the nurse sent him back since he didn't have a fever, and it sounded like a solid story in itself, thankfully. Of course they bought it, but he could still sense they were worried about him. "Did you guys want to stop by the Nasty Burger on the way home?" He slumped his backpack over one shoulder.

Sam sighed in annoyance. "I can't. My parents called me as soon as school ended and told me to come straight home, otherwise they'd ground me."

"Strict curfew with you too?" He looked over towards Tucker with a questioning look as they made their way out of the classroom.

Tucker eyed Danny slightly, looking over his friend carefully. He had heard the story he had told him, but he knew it was that-a story. While getting some water, he had spotted something he had never expected to see-Danny threatening Dash. After that incident, he had noticed that the otherwise (seemingly) fearless blonde jock was reduced to almost a quivering little puppy. What was going on here? Danny would never threaten Dash...

If it was Danny he was talking to. But that theory was just plain ridiculous.

He broke out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah. My parents want to have a... family meeting."

"Ahh, oh well." The blue-eyed boy shrugged, before shifting his backpack onto both shoulders. "Maybe we can get some free time this weekend. We never did finish our quest on Doomed for that Sword of Chivalry everyone was talking about. It's much more fun to hang out at Sam's with her multiple computers in one room."

"I'll try to talk my parents into it." Sam grinned at them, utterly oblivious to the thoughts running through each of their heads.

Danny smiled and the three continued chatting as they walked out of the school - waving as Jazz passed them in her car. The raven-haired boy was still considerably tired, and it showed. While they were talking, his mind would tend to wander, and he would have to ask Sam what the last thing she said to him was. Tucker on the other hand, stayed relatively quiet through the walk home, which was more than odd. Usually they couldn't get him to shut up. "See ya Sam." He waved at the Goth girl once they came upon the gates to her mansion.

"Bye Sam." Tucker waved to his friend, watching her retreat into the distance, walking up the long driveway into her house. Now he was alone with Danny... or at least, what he hoped was Danny.

The taller boy sighed softly, clutching one hand to the strap of his backpack as they walked in silence. There was something wrong here, and he hoped to god it wasn't what he feared. "Hey," He said softly, giving the African American a grin. "What's with you? You're usually talking a mile a minute."

"Huh?" Tucker blinked, breaking out of his own thoughts, shaking his head. "Sorry, Danny... I'm just thinking about something. Don't mind me."

"Tucker Foley? Thinking when he's not in school?" He gave his friend a comical laugh. "Did Valerie dump you again?"

"_No_!" Tucker glared indignantly at his friend. "And don't tease me about that dude, it's _not_ cool!" He snapped, a bit more defensive about it than he usually was, if ever anymore.

Danny blinked, looking a little surprised. "Hey, sorry... geeze, since when did you get on the offensive? Sam and I tease you and Val all the time."

"I know, I know." He shook his head, sighing. "Sorry, Danny, I didn't mean to snap at you either. I guess there's just something in the air."

He sighed, looking at his friend hesitantly before he stepped away, heading for his house across the street. "See ya at school tomorrow, okay?" He gave him an encouraging smile, waving as he left.

Tucker nodded. "Yeah... at school." He gave him a rather pitiful wave before he retreated into his house.

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And there's chapter two! Gosh, almost feel sorry for Dash. Almost. Not quite though. Check back with me when I attain a higher empathy level. ;3

As for chapter three for next weekend (Possibly during the week if I get caught up on all my school work), it's probably the one everyone's been waiting for! Danny won't be making it through the entire school day, that's for sure.

Ciao, y'all ;D

Zoey


	3. Contravention

Huzzah. Done editing chapter three! And there was much rejoicing. Well, much meaning me.

Oh be quiet. I'm plenty sane. D:

Anywhoo, I'll stop wasting your time up here in the author's notes that barely anyone reads anyway. xD Oh dear, and I do believe I actually forgot the disclaimer in chapter one…. Well here it is.

I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Butch Hartman. Oh wait, that didn't come out quiet as planned, did it? Well, Hartman should at least thank the gods I don't own him.

On with the show!

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Chapter Three

_Contravention_

The rest of Danny's day was nothing short of chaotic, and though most teenagers are able to find a trace amount of solace at home, today was an immense failure. The second he walked through the door to Fentonworks, almost deafening alarms rang through the walls, red lights flashing and almost blinding him - before Jazz walked through the living room, slamming her fist on the alarm switch. "Hey Danny." She gave him a weak smile as the poor boy stuck his finger in his ear, afraid they were permanently damaged. Not moments later, their parents had stormed into the room, screaming "_Ghost_" at the top of their lungs. Luckily Jazz was able to convince them it was a false alarm... but the other three times the security system went off later that night was a little harder to explain. Needless to say, Danny spent an entire night away from home again, trying to sort out quarrels in the ghost zone, as well as on earth. The transition for the new ghost king was anything but smooth, even though he was finally able to divide his workload, sending other ghosts out to do patrols that would otherwise cost him hours of night. At the very least, Danny had a solid basis for his new reign, as much as he despised it. The percentage of ghosts that vowed to follow him were a little thin, but they consisted of some of the most powerful specters he's met (And some he hasn't), and there hasn't been a revolt yet, so it was pretty safe to say things were going to stay the way they were. Lucky him.

If it was any help at all, the half ghost was actually able to get an hours worth of heavy sleep before he woke up to his alarm. The morning routine thankfully didn't consist of any ghost alarms, since his parents decided there was faulty wiring and would be spending most of their day trying to find the reason why the damn thing kept going off yesterday.

"Hey, you need a ride?" Jazz patted her brother on the back as he was about to walk out the door, concern written all over her face. "You look awful..."

"Thanks," He mumbled, giving her a sour look before sighing. "I was in the ghost zone almost the entire night. You wouldn't believe the shit I was going through..." He yawned loudly. "If utter chaos doesn't happen one way or another, it's going to at the end of seven days, when I'm legally insane from sleep deprivation."

"Maybe you should stay home. Mom and dad have all the ghost equipment shut off today." She offered, unlocking her car that was parked in the driveway.

"No way. The last thing I need is more suspicion from the student body..." He groaned, slipping into the car with his sister.

"_More_ suspicion?" She asked worriedly.

: "I think Tucker's on to me... believe it or not, he's a bright kid." He leaned back in his seat, rubbing at the wristbands on his arms. "And... Dash kind of saw me in the showers yesterday..."

Jazz blinked, before looking over at him incredulously. "You mean _that's_ what that was about?"

"What?" He raised an eyebrow, looking a little worried himself.

"Everyone was talking about how you cornered Dash yesterday at school! Some kids said he was about to wet himself!" She paused for a moment, before leaning back and shaking her head. "Danny, seriously. You need to lay extremely low for the next week or two. Reducing the school's 'king' to a mere shaking puppy isn't going to help you with that."

"Hey! I didn't do anything to him!" He shot back defensively. "I just... threatened him a little."

"Danny, I'm sure you don't understand because you're not one of the innocent bystanders in the situation, but the mere sight - without the threat- of the Ghost King is going to wither anyone's resolve."

"Shouldn't you be concentrating on driving?" He asked dully.

"That's your problem, right there." She huffed, stopping the car quite harshly as she hit a red light. "You're avoiding the problem."

"Maybe the problem's gotten a little too big to avoid."

"You're only hurting yourself." She added in a patronizing tone.

"Great. Because nowadays, I can hardly feel the pain." He glanced at her sideways.

"You need sleep."

"That's what third period is for."

Jazz just groaned loudly as se pulled into the school parking lot. "Do what you want." She admitted with a sigh. "Just don't do anything rash."

He didn't reply, but it was obvious he was more upset with himself than angry at his sister. She was right. She was always right. But somehow, he knew this situation was different... and he was never one to accept other people's help easily. "Thanks." He muttered, before sliding out the car, and walked towards the school as his sister proceeded to gather her things from the trunk of her car.

Sam ran up to meet the boy, arriving nearly at the same time as he did. "Danny! Hey!" She greeted him, a smile on her face. "Hi Jazz."

"Good morning Sam." The red-head replied with a bright smile. "Sorry I've got to run, I have a CLS presentation to do this morning." She patted Danny on the shoulder, before walking past the two younger teens in a hurry.

"Hey," The raven-haired boy gave Sam a tired smile. "What's up?"

"Not much. My dad tried to convince me to stay home today. He's still paranoid about the whole ghost king situation." She sighed, shaking her head. "I really wish they would stop being so over-protective. I'm sure I've shown them I can handle myself well enough."

"Well, you know parents." He said in an almost fond voice. "At least you slept last night. The ghost alarm system kept going off last night... mom says it was faulty wiring."

"Geez, that must be annoying. I know how loud that thing is." She had been there once when it had gone off, and, unfortunately, she had been right nearby one of the alarms. Her ears rang for about a day afterwards.Tucker walked in as Danny spoke, arching a mild eyebrow, wondering if it was faulty wiring. He didn't say anything, instead, giving them both a hello.

Danny replied by waving, though he couldn't help but watch as his friend walked away, worry building up in his throat. "Hey, do you know what's wrong with Tuck?" He looked towards Sam, a flood of mixed emotions on his features. "He was really quiet yesterday too..."

Sam frowned. "I'm not sure. He wasn't online either yesterday." She looked around, before leaning in close. "You don't think maybe that Valerie has something to do with it? I think he still likes her."

"Nah... they're in one of their ruts, but I'm sure Valerie will be asking him to go out with her again." He shook his head as they walked into the school. "They do this almost every month."

Sam laughed. "I know. I can't help but wonder why she always does it." Valerie and Tucker had an off-and-on relationship for quite some time now. Their constant break-ups had once fueled school rumors, but now most at Casper High had just gotten bored with the topic altogether. After all, they did it so much.

Whispers started as the two of them entered the school building together. Granted, this wasn't too uncommon-rumors about their relationship were a constant hot topic. But instead of eyeing them both as they normally would have, many of them were merely eyeing the boy, and more specifically, his wristbands.

"I think it's a dominance thing." He replied boredly as they came upon their lockers, unfortunately noticing the odd stares he was getting. Oh well, time to play Mr. Clueless and Innocent. "Uh... do you know why everyone's staring at us?" He looked back behind him a little, blushing a bit. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Two eyes, a nose, and a mouth." Sam replied lightheartedly. "Don't worry about them so much, Danny. If you ignore rumors, they'll go away after a bit."

He nodded, but somehow... he wasn't sure this one was going to go away so easily. Opening his locker, he pulled a few books out, muttering something under his breath. If this was another rumor about him and Sam being 'lovebirds', he could easily deal with that - though he would probably leave the school blushing, it wouldn't kill him. But if it was from something Dash may have spilled... that blond jock was a dead man walking.

"Come on, let's get to class. You don't want to sit through Mr. Lancer's detention again, do you?" Sam smiled, closing her locker as she finished getting out her books for first period.

"Haha, yeah... that's the last thing I need right now." He gave her an exhausted look, slumping over a bit. Well, as long as he gets through first hour, he usually wakes up before the period ends. The two walked down the halls, his gaze shifting around as he saw more than a few people give him odd looks, though most of them were degrading. Maybe his suspicions weren't true after all...

Tucker was already in the classroom, deep into a game on his PDA. He barely offered the two of them a glance as they came in, and Sam frowned, taking her customary seat next to Danny. Danny was right, he had been acting very strange.

The raven-haired boy noticed before Sam did though, and unfortunately, he wasn't going to stay as quiet. Going on three days without sleep was beginning to make him a little edgy. "Hey, Tuck." He sat down in his seat, voice hinting at a more annoyed tone than a worried one. "Why don't you just tell us what's bothering you? It's starting to piss me off how you're just ignoring us." Yeah, that sounded a little harsh, but at the moment, that was the only way Danny could think of to try and communicate 'hey I'm worried about you'. Minus twelve points for creativity.

That... just seemed to make it worse. Tucker's eyes narrowed in deep suspicion. "I don't know. Maybe it's the same thing in the air that caused you to reduce Dash into a quivering puddle. I saw it you know."

Danny blinked, face immediately paling as he tried to regain his composition. Tucker had seen that? No wonder he was acting so distant! "H-Hey," The raven-haired boy did is best to laugh, trying to sound as authentic as possible. "What's that all about? Are you out of your mind?" He jerked a thumb back towards Dash's seat - who thankfully wasn't in class yet. "That guy can pulverize me in 30 seconds."

"You lying to me only makes me more suspicious, Danny." Tucker said, his voice was cold and unbelieving. "I saw it, and if you can point me to another person in the school who looks, sounds, and dresses exactly like me, then I'll eat my PDA. Without salt."

Ouch. Danny grimaced again, feeling even worse. He didn't like where this was going... "Look, believe what you want." He replied in a bored tone, leaning back in his chair. "But if you have something you want to say, just spill it. I... kind of worry about you when you're like this." Good, sprinkle on the pity, and add a fresh slice of sincerity.

"I want to know exactly what's going on with you, Danny." He purposefully stressed his friend's name. "I think there's a lot more too it than just your parents freaking out."

The boy's blue eyes leered back, inwardly biting his lip since the boy hadn't taken the bait. He took in a small breath, before turning his head back towards the front of the classroom as the tardy bell rang. "Nothing that concerns you." He replied in a quiet tone. "At least, I don't want it to..."

Tucker eyed him, but he turned away, getting ready to focus on class. Sam leaned over to Danny, whispering. "What's wrong with Tucker? Did you find out?"

"Huh?" He looked back towards Sam, before giving her a weak smile. "Yeah...don't worry about it."

Sam frowned. She got the feeling that they were both keeping something from her, and she didn't like that. But she sighed, letting it go for now. They would talk more after class. "All right..."

English class seemed to run by more slowly now that Danny had more than enough things to worry about on his mind. How long would he be able to keep this up? It's been barely a week, and he's already starting to lose confidence in himself. "Alright everyone, see you tomorrow. And remember those papers - I want to see everyone's up on my desk before the bell." Mr. Lancer announced, making a few of the students groaned as they all sat up, the bell ringing down the halls.

"So, Fenton..." the voice of one of the members of the football team was heard behind him. It wasn't long before they were all arranged there. "Word on the street is that you think you're pretty tough, huh?"

If he could have rammed his head into a brick wall without attracting any attention to himself, he would have. "N-no, not at all..." He did his best to play the classic 'pathetic wimp' role he had become to accustomed to. Great, not three steps out of the classroom, Tucker and Sam were still behind him, and there was no guarantee he would be able to keep his temper under wraps. "C'mon guys, I thought I was scheduled for my daily beating after fourth period..."

"Oh, it's been moved up." One of them grinned, laughing. "See, we don't know what you did to Dash, but we figure your little bat girlfriend over there had something to do with it. With her voodoo and all." Sam glared at them.

"I do _not_ do voodoo!"

Danny just took in a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes as one of his eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "Then by all means, get it over with." And for the love of god Fenton, don't hit them back.

"Certainly. But first..." Another jock interjected, coming out from the crowd. "Just to clear up those stupid rumors going around school, we're going to prove to everyone that you have nothing to hide." Without waiting, the jock grabbed onto one of Danny's wrists, laughing.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea..." Behind them, Dash whimpered, looking uneasily at his friends. Oh god... he was going to die, wasn't he?

At that though, the boy's eyes snapped open wide, about to rip his arm away from the jock's grasp - but forced himself to stay calm. Use that classic Fenton wit... maybe he can talk his way out of this. "Nothing to hide?" He snorted, though his face was pale with fear. "Funny coming from you, Brian... since you've been trying to hide the fact you're blatantly gay from the rest of the football team since Freshman year."

That only seemed to make the jock angry, his eyes narrowed. "'Scuse me Fenton? What was that?" He asked, his voice cold. "Just for that, I'm not even going to try and taunt you by waiting!" With a laugh, the jock ripped off the wristband, his laughter soon dying as he stared wide-eyed at what was underneath it. "Oh shit..." He dropped Danny's hand like it had turned into a scorpion, backing away from the boy. "_Oh shit_..."

Danny immediately froze, blue eyes widening with fright, the protective cloth band practically being ripped away from his wrist. Slowly his expression melted into an almost pathetically frightened face, as if he may as well be in Brian's shoes. He felt his heartbeat thud heavily in his chest, even though mere seconds had ticked away in reality. Immediately his hand slapped over the burn marks on his wrist, pulling it close to his stomach as if it were really wounded, eyes wide and filled with hesitant fear.

As more people saw it, they started to edge away from the raven-haired boy, a low mummer starting in the classroom. His two friends, both of them able to see it from behind him, slowly began to back away, Sam looking almost desperately between Danny, Tucker, and the jock. Danny was... her Danny... he was... oh God. Oh God, Oh God. Danny was Phantom, and Phantom... was the King. Oh _GOD_.

Tucker's eyes narrowed, but his the audible pounding of his heart, and the slight shaking of his body gave away his fear. He was right... but he hadn't expected it to be as bad as _THAT_. Oh God, what had happened to Danny? And for how long?

Slowly Danny's eyes clenched shut, the grip he had on his own arm enough to bend steel. At one moment pure terror had completely adorned his features... but as his eyes slowly opened back up, they flickered to life with a deadly emerald light, his expression quickly changing as his unstable mind began to adapt to the utter terror he felt... and rage soon filled his senses. "_You_..." He growled, voice octaves lower than anyone has ever heard him use, a fatal glare aimed right at the jock who still held his wristband, tears stinging the very corners of his eyes. "_You will pay for this_!" Wind began to whip around his feet as an ethereal light appeared around his body, causing the first of many screams to erupt inside the school.

Sam's violet eyes widened, as she stumbled back, letting out a slight yelp as she tripped, falling backwards and crashing to the floor. Tucker now didn't even try to look angry, quickly ducking and trying to hide behind a desk. And the football team... their faces showed just about every expression terror known to man. Brain, the one who had yanked off the wristband, almost looked as if he was about to wet himself, and one would think that Dash might have already done so.

"I've tried for so long..." Danny's pained voice began to adopt an otherworldly echo, one only present while as a ghost. His eyes leered, pain mingling with fury. "For _two years_, I put up with the likes of you! For _two years_, I put up with _everything_ around here!" His fists clenched tightly, his raven-colored hair shimmering as it flew in the gusts of wind, the strands slowly melting into the purest of white. "Did you think this was a _game_! _You've ruined what life I have LEFT_!" He yelled, before shifting his weight to his back foot, the familiar shine of blue-white rings illuminating the halls before he completely reverted into Phantom, his fist rearing back as bright ectoplasmic energy burned around his fingers. In an instant, he was practically on top of the jock, his outstretched hand stopping millimeters in front of the boy's face. Danny clenched his teeth harshly, his chest rising and falling as if he was panting, a level of utter fury flickering in his emerald eyes. But he had stopped.

The jock whimpered, quivering under the ghost king's grip, his eyes welded shut, not wanting to open them to face his doom. Behind them, Sam had scooted away to the farthest corner, staring in horror at what had just been her best friend only moments ago, her entire body quaking violently. Phantom... Phantom... Phantom... _PHANTOM_. Her best friend, the boy she had a crush on for so long... oh god, but he was Phantom. He was a ghost... was the boy she had known for the past two years even really Danny? How... what... it wasn't possible. That rage... it wasn't Danny, it couldn't be. She welded her eyes shut, drawing up her legs, clamping her hands over her ears and letting out a low whimper. _God_...

Once again the ghost king's eyes clenched tightly shut as he obviously battled with his emotions, his arm shaking while power continued to build up in his fist. But as the worst seemed to be the inevitable, the white-haired ghost teen recoiled, before flying straight up through the roof, going intangible and invisible so that he couldn't be traced.

There was what seemed to be an endless silence after Phantom departed, broken only by the occasional whimpering or the groaning of a student coming out of hiding. Brian had long since fainted, slumped down on the floor, knowing how close to death he might have just come. And he wasn't alone. Dash, too, was cowering. If they thought Danny had reduced him to a quivering puppy before... well, it was nothing to how he looked now.

Tucker shakily came out from his hiding spot behind the desk, looking around, letting out a racking sigh of relief when he saw that the ghost king had indeed fled. His eyes crossed the room, to look at Sam, and, not trusting his shaking legs, he crawled over to her. The normally strong goth girl had been reduced to tears, her body shaking from both the sobs that racked her body, and her own fear. Not knowing what else to do, Tucker wrapped his arms around her, knowing she felt possibly worse than he did. After all... she had loved Danny...

"Tucker..." Sam managed to speak softly, her voice shaking. "..._How_...?"

The African American teen shook his head, keeping his own feelings out of his voice. Sam needed support right now... and he could try and give it to her. "...I don't know..." He swallowed, repeating himself. "I don't know."

--------------------------------

Hurrah for angst! Poor Danny's probably in his happy emo corner now, slitting his wrists. Haha… if only he'd get simply depressed. One of the most common psychological impulses a human being has when confronted with deep emotional trauma, is anger. Well first there's denial, then there's rage. And Danny's done being in denial. xD

-Starts singing- Deck the halls with pools of blood Fa la la la laaaa la la la laaa

-Cough- Anywhoo. Next chapter shall be up around Friday. :3 Until next time, y'all!

Zoey


	4. Breakdown

Rejoice, everyone! This is the chapter where Danny finally snaps. xDD Ahahaha…. Yes. Someone please shoot me.

But enough of that now… I've got important news!

_**! ATTENION ALL READERS !**_

ChibiSamiSala and I have started an art contest on DeviantArt ( www. Deviantart. Com ), and the grand prize involves a written bit of Remordere or Thicker than Blood that will never be posted! Kind of like a limited edition thing. :D (-cough- They're lemons, if you want to know…)

Go to my DeviantArt page, and check out my latest journal for details.

Zilleniose. Deviantart. Com Yes, that's the link

If you don't have a Deviantart account but you still want to participate, send me a PM via my account.

Now, time for the show!

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Chapter Four

_Breakdown_

Phantom flew through the air at breakneck speed, his heart beating hard in his chest as his mind reeled in a frantic attempt to calm himself down. He had lost control again... and it scared him. How many more times would he let his anger get the best of him? He was never like this before the battle with Pariah Dark. "What's happening to me?" He whispered to himself as the air whipped around his face, his elevation slipping as his eyes closed, mental stability slipping along with it. In an almost sudden outburst, the white-haired ghost pulled his hands to his head, his teeth gritting painfully together - and suddenly, the gravity around him took its toll, and he plummeted to the forest below. He had only been flying for barely a minute, but thankfully his speed lead him to the outskirts of the town... because whether or not he would have fallen in a populated street would have made no difference. With struggling arms, Phantom pulled himself up against a tree, seeming to be unaffected by the fall. But as the seconds ticked by, his green eyes snapped open, one hand moving swiftly to his stomach as he lurched forward, the stress finally taking it's toll - and he vomited on the grass. Slowly he slid to his knees, his fists clenching harmlessly at the air. "Why..." He whispered, tears stinging at his eyes once more. "_Why_...?"

The students of Casper High had been let out long ago. After the revelation that one of its own students was none other than Phantom, the largely dreaded Ghost King, nobody wanted to stay in the building. He had left... but what if he was going to come back? Deciding that the safety of the students was far more important than their education (for they couldn't exactly teach them if they were dead), Principal Ishiyama had decided to close the school for the rest of the week.

Naturally, The Fentons had been called, Maddie and Jack stunned to learn that Danny was none other than Phantom, the ghost they had been trying to hunt down long before he became the Ghost King. They were even more stunned to learn about his violent outburst, the two parental figures both rendered in complete shock. They drove home in silence, unable to even think about anything other than the road. Their son was _Phantom_. Their son was half-ghost.

As for Sam's parents had practically burst into the school building to retrieve their daughter. They always knew that Daniel Fenton was no good, and that there was always something weird about him. The way that boy ran off sometimes was enough to make anyone suspicious, and the Mansons were very suspicious people. They had quickly found their daughter and left the school building with her, before Principal Ishiyama even had a chance to make the announcement that their students were dismissed.

Sam, for once, didn't put up a fight. How could she? She had no energy left to do anything. She was in such a state of shock, such a state of horror and fear, that she couldn't think straight. All she could do was keep on putting on foot in front of the other, her parents leading her into the car. She couldn't shake the memory of what happened in the classroom out of her mind. It was constantly replaying in her mind-the removal of Danny's wristbands, the rage that had consumed him and his transformation into Phantom, and his near attack on Brain. Once she had reached her house, she simply went into her room, locking the door and slumped on her bed, breaking into a sob once more. _God_...

The situation at the Fenton household wasn't any better, even considering the fact that ever since Jazz returned home, she had been desperately trying to defend her little brother. It was more than obvious her parents were torn two completely different ways - after all, Phantom had been the biggest controversy in the history of Amity Park, doing almost as much damage to the town as he did good. But ever since the story of how the ghost king almost killed a student at Casper high got horribly blown out of proportion, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that if Phantom was good to begin with, the power he received after defeating Pariah Dark was beginning to corrupt him. And yet... the Fentons loved their children more than anything else. More than ghost hunting, even more than the fear they held for the new Ghost King. But was he really their son anymore?

Evening had fallen, the sounds of crickets chirping was the only thing those in the Manson household heard for a long time. The deceptively peaceful silence, however, was soon broken by the shrill sounds of a scream, Samantha Manson jolting up from her bed, where she had fallen into a tear-stained sleep. Her raven hair was disheveled, and she was panting heavily, it was more than clear that she had a rather horrific nightmare. Letting out a sob and pulling up her knees, placing her elbows on them, she hid her face in her hands, the sheets that her mother had carefully tucked around her bunching up tightly around her.

Mr. and Mrs. Manson looked at each other downstairs, and slowly came up to her room, gently knocking on the door and peeking in, wanting to know if their daughter wanted to talk. The Goth girl slowly shook her head, and her two parents bit their lips, but allowed her to have her way. They knew they should have never let her go back to school...

After watching them go, Sam slid out of her bed, her bare feet meeting the floor. Her mother had managed to coax her into putting on her nightgown, the black lace trim of it tickled at her knees. Pulling on a violet knit jacket, she slowly shuffled out of her room, not wanting to go back to sleep, not wanting to see that horrible dream again. In it... everything had seemed like it was back to normal, and she was spending a typical afternoon with Danny and Tucker... but suddenly the scene changed, and she was no longer there, but in the clutches of Phantom-a rather sadistic looking Phantom. She had woken up just before the Ghost King whispered to her what he had in store for her.

And just outside the gates to her wealthy estate, the very ghost that enveloped her nightmares stood with one hand pressed to the black metal bars that would have prohibited any human from proceeding towards her home. His emerald eyes that were usually bright with life were now unusually dull and weak as he gazed at the Manson household, merely wishing he had the courage to approach the girl he knew was inside. Reason number one being she was probably asleep. Reason number two... he had seen her expression when he changed into his ghostly alter ego. He's never seen her like that... almost pathetically vulnerable and frightened. It was worse than remember the look Dash had given him the day before. A part of him wanted to approach her, tell her he hasn't changed, that he's still the same Danny she knew since elementary school... but he couldn't even convince himself that. So how could he convince someone else? "I'm so weak..." He whispered to himself, a small smile cracking upon his features as his fingers curled around one of the metal bars. Even if he had the courage, there was no telling the kind of reaction he'd receive from her... so it was probably best to stay at a distance, and merely dream about what could have been.

After wandering down every available hallway in her home, the troubled teenager made her way outside, pausing briefly to wrap her jacket tighter around herself to keep out the chill of the night air. She slowly made her way down the steps of her grand porch, letting out a deep breath and tilting back her head, her violet eyes gazing at the sky. It was clear, and a beautiful night. Another sigh escaped from her lips, and she dropped her head back down, her bare feet stepping carefully onto the grass, as she wandered about her yard, trying desperately to collect her thoughts and cool her head- but it was all to no avail. The more she tried, the more she remembered. Every time she closed her eyes, pieces of the morning's events, blurred with her nightmare appeared behind them, causing her to quickly snap them open again. She wished... oh how she wished... that everything could be normal again, that there was some way to reset time so that none of this, however it did, would ever happen, and she could be with Danny again... Just mentioning his name caused the tears to flow again, and she was surprised she hadn't cried them all out yet.

As the ghost teen made him way slowly around the Manson household (Mostly in a half-dazed state from deep thought), he looked up in front of him, hearing the faint sound of a door opening slowly, then closing behind a pair of footsteps. That must have been from the backyard. With a few moments of hesitance, the ghost king slipped into the shadows, turning himself invisible to avoid being seen by whoever may be wandering outside. Gently he landed on the end of a short brick wall, probably about six feet from the ground, surrounded by rose bushes. His heart nearly stopped as he looked up, eyes growing wide as he spotted the very girl that had been causing him the most turmoil... Sam was outside, standing barefoot in the grass... crying. Sam never cried. A part of him mind screamed at him to confront her, to tell her everything was okay... but that small bit of logic made him stay put, afraid that she would reject him. 'Stay calm...' He told himself. 'She doesn't want to see you anyway...'

She tried to shove back the tears, but she couldn't do it. She was strong, but... she wasn't this strong. They wouldn't stop, and so she did the only thing that she could think to do. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself and sat down in the grass, knees pulled up, resting her head on them. Why couldn't she stop crying? God... why was this causing her so much pain? But she knew the answer, even as she asked the question-she had loved Danny, and she had loved him so much, and for so long. "Stupid..." She mumbled quietly. "So _STUPID_!" She shouted now, her head jolting up from her knees, to stare at the sky. After a sobbing breath, she lowered it back down, mumbling again. "I was so stupid..."

Guilt pulled at his chest every passing second he stood there, hiding from her, refusing to let himself say anything. He couldn't do this... he couldn't. "You're _not_ stupid." He blurted out, before slapping both hands over his mouth, legs shaking as he prayed his invisibility would hold up. Oh god... what had he done? Even if she couldn't see him, she was bound to recognize his voice...

Sam's head jolted up again, her tear-stained violet eyes going wide. _Oh God_... She jolted up from her sitting position, looking around, panicked. Oh God, that voice. It was him. He was here, he was watching her. She felt her heart pound in her chest and she stumbled backwards, letting out a shout as she toppled over, landing quite clumsily on her rear, her nightmare flashing through her memory again. _No, no_. That wasn't going to happen, no...

His emerald eyes watched her with growing guilt, his fears proving to be reality. He grit his teeth, his eyes clenched shut as he pushed himself to leave... but he couldn't just leave her there. Suddenly, the soft crunching of grass emanated from beside the brick wall, and the Ghost King's form faded back into view, his expression expertly hiding the pain he held inside of him as he took the first few experimental steps towards her. "Sam..." A bit of his worry showed through his features and voice, as he stopped a good four feet or so from her huddling form. "Sam, what's wrong?" More of his pain began to show through as he lifted one hand to his chest in an almost defensive matter. "It's _me_... Danny..."

Her violet eyes only grew wider, her body visibly quaking. She wanted to run away, but she couldn't move at all. Her body was completely frozen. She opened her mouth, her breath coming out heavy, her heart was pounding like crazy in her chest now. Her mouth desperately tried to form something, a scream, a cry for help, words to say to... she didn't even know who this was anymore. All she could see was Phantom, and all she could see was his anger from earlier. She couldn't put them together, she just... couldn't. Phantom had said he was Danny, she had seen it herself, but her mind didn't want to make the connection. It was the worst form of denial one could go through.

Phantom's expression grew guilty still, but he forced himself to step closer to her, hoping that maybe he could convince her... maybe she was still in shock. "Hey," He whispered, bending down on one knee as he reached out, cold fingers brushing up against her cheek as he pulled a few strands of silk black hair from her face. "Come on Sam...it's me. I'm not going to do anything..."

Now her body managed to move, though more from an instinctive reaction than anything else. She pushed herself backwards, just out of his reach once more. She couldn't make herself go further forward. He was being so nice to her... part of her told her that, part of her was screaming at her that she had no reason to be afraid. But fear was a powerful thing, and it could easily consume all rational thoughts, and so that screaming voice of reason became nothing more than a mere whisper in the back of her mind.

The Ghost King's eyes blinked, looking down at her with surprise. He should have expected this to happen... so why did it tear him apart like this? This wasn't right... he was scaring her. He should leave, and yet... he felt so desperate. He wanted to hear her voice, he wanted her to accept him even if nobody else would. "Sam, _please_!" His voice rose ever so slightly, as he reached out and grabbed one of her wrists almost forcefully, his tone beyond that of a plead. "Please, stop it! I'm _not_ going to hurt you..."

That was the wrong thing for him to do. Sam let out a loud gasp, followed by a loud shriek, as she tried to tug her wrist away from him. "_No_!" She shouted. "No, please, don't!" She was almost crying now, her voice coming out between terrified sobs. "_Don't touch me..."_

The moment her scream echoed in his mind, he released her wrist, pulling back from her as if her skin burned him. "_Why_...?" He whispered, emerald eyes wide as he gazed down at her, disbelief muting out all other emotions. The same overwhelming terror and pain began to envelop him. "Why do you act like everyone _else_!" His mind began to recede into a protective boundary, wishing so hard for the pain to stop... that the same familiar rage began to take its place.

Her breath came out heavy still, and she pushed herself away from him, her legs shaking too badly for her to walk, much less run on them. She heard his words, but it was like they were coming through some sort of filter-he spoke, and she heard them, but... she didn't, not truly. Her mouth worked, noiseless words coming out before two alone managed to become audible, her tone harsh without meaning too, a note that struck high on the fear chart. "You _lied_!" There was so much more that she tried to work out, so much more... but just those two made it out.

Realization struck him for a brief moment, before his resolve stood back firmly in place. "I lied to protect you!" He yelled, anger beginning to seethe through every word. "Did you think this was _easy_ for me? Did you think I was doing this for _fun_!"

"...No..." her voice came out weakly, and she tried, how she tried to get away. His words just breezed through her head, their meaning stripped as they went past the mental filter, only the anger in his voice registering with her. Her heart began to pound again, and she knew that she had made him angry. She couldn't get the image of him ready to do harm to Brain out of her head, she couldn't get her nightmare out of her head. She couldn't do it. It was too soon, all of this was happening too soon, she wasn't ready to deal with any of this at all...

"Then what are you scared of?" He demanded, though his voice had quieted down significantly.

"..._You_..." Her voice was barely a whisper, quivering as badly as she was. She wanted to say more, but she couldn't get her words out. They wouldn't form right, no matter how hard she tried.

Phantom's eyes widened, his pupils dilating as pure shock destroyed all other emotions. It was true... she wasn't merely confused, Sam... Sam was truly _scared_ of him. _Sam_ was. Slowly, he backed away from the shivering girl, staring at her with disbelief, then suddenly... it was as if something within his mind snapped, releasing a torrent of unchained emotions, his body barely able to compensate for the rush, as the dam that had for so long kept his sanity in check, finally collapsed. The Ghost King stood to his feet, walking away from her, his shoulders shaking just barely. But he wasn't crying, he wasn't shivering... Phantom began to _laugh_.

A shiver ran down her spine at the sound of the laughter, and all the girl could drew was draw herself tight. _No_... no, that wasn't what she had meant. She didn't want to say that, not to sound like that. But... she couldn't do it. She couldn't speak. It was true, in a sense... she was scared of him. The rage he had shown, her nightmare... dreams blended with reality when one was under mental stress, and she was. But his reaction... oh _god_, he was _laughing_. Why... _why_? She dreaded knowing the answer.

"That's _it_!" The ghost lifted his hands up, before turning towards the girl, a frightening grin upon his face - and his eyes... his eyes shone with a sort of wild light that seemed to portray his nearly psychotic mind state. "Why haven't I thought of it before?" He continued to laugh again, raising a hand to his head, like a child who had finally solved a puzzle.

_Oh God_... he had lost it. Sam tried to pull herself up, managing to stand up on badly quaking legs, taking a few steps backwards. No... _no_. It was like the nightmare all over again.

"If you refuse to listen to me..." He looked up at her, eyes gleaming along with a sadistic grin, before his voice dropped an octave lower, a sick amusement lingering in his tone. "Why don't I give you something to be scared of..." He arms flew outwards as his feet planted firmly in place, his eyes shining a bright emerald as the ethereal green glow traveled along his body. And not moments after... the ground began to quake.

Sam let out a scream, the shaking of the ground causing the girl to fall back on the ground, her body shaking almost as badly as the Earth itself. Pure terror had replaced every other emotion, she couldn't even breathe. She wanted someone to help her, but she knew that no one would come.

Her parents had rushed out of the house, stopping dead in their tracks, frozen in fear at the sight before them. Their daughter... and there he was. The Ghost King, the boy whom they used to know as Danny Fenton. Oh god, their daughter was in danger, but neither of them could move. And what would they do anyways if they could? Both knew it was hopeless. Sam's mother outright fainted, her body crumpling on the porch.

Phantom's eyes leered as the tremors intensified, the sounds of faint screams erupting from every home in Amity Park. And miles away, a thin bright green light illuminated the sky, shining up towards the heavens like a spotlight... before it grew, widening to hundreds of feet wide, the forest as which it originated disintegrating into piles of dust. In the center of the column of light, something thin and small began to grow, as the first of many spires erupted from the quaking ground, rising into the air, the form of its origin coming into view.

On the outskirts of Amity Park, a gigantic castle stood, casting a foreboding shadow from the moon above over every inch of the town.

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Oh-ho Another evil cliffie! Hurrah!

-Is shot by an AK 47-

Yes kiddies, Danny's fallen off the deep end. That's what happens when you crush under the amount of stress he had to deal with…. Poor Sam gave him the _wrong_ answer. xDD It's only a matter of time before it starts raining blood.

In other OTHER news, I just want to give a heads up to anyone who lives near Knoxville, Tennesse – because ChibiSamiSala and I will be at the Kajonk-a-Con October 13 – 15! Well, we'll actually only be there Saturday. But still, we'll be there. ;D Let us know if you wanna meet us! We'll give you our autographs, which will double in price once we die, leaving you with a grand total of nothing! JUBILATIONS! Haha, yeah. ANYway…

Ciao, y'all ;D

Zoey


	5. Torment

_On top of old smoookeeeey All covered in blooooooood_

….Yes, the fun begins now. xD

Sorry for the long chapter update. I've got no excuse other than Becky (_DiscordianSamba_) and I haven't been able to RP much lately. Or, at all. So the chapters will be coming a lot slower. Sorry everyone!

But here's chapter 5. ;3 Countdown to Armageddon starts now. 3

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Chapter Five

_Torment_

Slowly the steady quaking began to die, and Phantom's shoulders began to relax, his eyes closing momentarily as he took in a slow breath. His strength returning faster than any ghost should be able to gather, he opened his eyes, catching the terrified gaze of Sam as she stared at the flurry of monstrous towers in the distance. "You should feel honored, Sam." He spoke above the sounds of the town as it fell into utter chaos, a morbid grin spreading across his face. "You were able to witness the birth of my royal castle... but of course, it will soon belong to you, too..."

Her mouth hung open, her breath coming out in short, halting gasps. She wanted to say something, she wanted to scream, to be able to do anything with her mouth instead of just having it hang there, as worthless as the rest of her body.

The Ghost King seemed completely unfazed by her reaction - if anything, he was amused by it. How easily humans were manipulated and terrified... "Now then," He said in a dark voice, before stepping towards the frozen girl in front of him, violet eyes soon meeting the eerie glow of deadly green. "I believe I still owe you something... oh, what was it?" He mocked a worried tone, stopping right before her as he lifted one gloved hand to his chin. "Oh yes...that's right." His smile suddenly changed into an unnerving sadistic grin, before he leaned forward, his lips brushing up against her ear ever so slightly. _"Scream,_ my dear Sammy... because this may be your last chance to cry for help..."

A cold shiver practically shot thorough her body, her violet eyes going wider than they were before. Unbidden, a scream tore itself from her lips, almost as if it was on command, her body betraying her where she would have normally forced herself to stay silent. She wanted someone to help her, someone to save her... She found herself praying for a moment for Danny, but that only made her fear worse, made her trembling worse, because she knew that Danny wouldn't save her... he couldn't... because... in front of her...

_...that _was Danny. Or what had been. Her scream only made his grin widen, before he pulled back from her ever so slightly, shoulder shaking as he began to laugh, like he was truly amused. Mere seconds passed before he reached out, harshly grabbing either side of her face, his palm pressed over her mouth to forcefully end her screams. Roughly he pulled her forward, whispering with sadistic amusement. "_Not good enough_." He spoke softly, before he reached up and braced on arm behind her back, holding her in a nearly painful state, a torrent of icy chills traveling across her skin. In a flash, they both disappeared from sight. What felt like icy dagger pierced into her skin, causing every nerve to be set aflame, then brutally numbed over and over again for what seemed like hours... but in reality, not seconds after they disappeared, the lush garden that once surrounded them was soon replaced with a large, quiet room... decorated with a regal red and gold interior, easily taking up 60 feet of space. Off to one wall was a gigantic, luxurious bed with velvet sheets, a balcony overlooking the entire room to her left. It seemed to be a chamber... fit for a king. Harshly Phantom let go of her, shoving her forward slightly as he gave her a mocking warm smile. "Welcome, Sam... to my castle."

Sam found herself tumbling onto the ground, her body impacting with it rather hard. She let out a gasp of pain, her elbows scraping against the ground. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears as she looked around in a panic, her hands clenching and unclenching themselves. Oh god... he had actually kidnapped her. Danny had... but no. No, this wasn't Danny, it couldn't be. Once more she neglected to listen to the quietly screaming voice in the back of her head, letting her fear consume her. Her mouth dropped open, only one word managing to escape her lips, her voice shaking. "..._No_..."

"What?" He asked in a sympathetic tone, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. "I gave you your chance... wasn't I being more than generous?" He grinned and stepped forward, bending down on one knee before her so that he was closer to her eye level. "Pity your screams didn't help you... " He placed a gloved hand at the center of her chest, before he pushed her down roughly to the ground - and he followed her, one leg resting beside her hip, one at her knees. "Maybe if you beg, I'll make this as quick and painless as possible..." He gazed down at her with half-lidded eyes.

She quivered under her touch, shaking badly. She had always imagine being with Danny... but not like this! No, this was all wrong, everything was wrong! This place was wrong, what was happening was wrong, and he... oh god, but he was so _wrong!_ "Danny..." Her voice came out between choked sobs, her eyes forced to look into his, tears appearing at the corner of her eyes. "Phantom... whoever..." She choked out. "...don't... please..."

"What's wrong, _Sammy?"_ He cooed, leaning in as his icy breath danced upon her lips. He could feel her rapid heartbeat under the palm of his hand, and the feel of it only made his sadistic smile grow. "What exactly are you afraid of?" He whispered as his hand moved down her chest, tantalizingly close to her breasts.

She shivered, forcing herself to tear her eyes away from him, closing them as she turned her head. "Please..." She begged now, her body screaming at her about what was to come. "You... _don't_..."

The Ghost King's lips curled into a sadistic smile, now blatantly obvious that whatever emotion he retained in the shambles that was his broken mind, was amusement. But quite surprisingly, he retreated his icy hand from her chest, and stood up, placing both hands on his hips as he assumed a stance that looked much like he was observing her. "God, are all humans this easy to manipulate? This won't be much fun then..." He gaze drug towards the left, as if he was already drifting off into though. But then again, no one could make assumptions about how his thoughts could string together any pathetic excuse for a conscience.

She shivered violently, using her feet to scoot herself backwards. Broken sobs were heard from her-in all honesty, she was almost surprised she was still able to cry. She would have thought she would have run out of tears by now. But still they flowed, staining her vision of the Ghost King, the person who had once been the dearest to her in the world. But now... now she didn't know what to think of him. Especially now...

"Danny..." She choked out from between her sobs, half-prayer, half-pleading. Was he even still there at all?

"_Pathetic_." His expression changed in the blink of an eye, gaze shifting to once again stare down at her, but the amusement was long gone. Instead, his eyes half-lidded, looking down at her with a condescending light, as if he was truly insulting her very being. His mood swings were almost child-like, coming as swiftly as they came. "I barely touch you, and yet you continue to drown yourself in tears. I thought you were stronger than that, Sammy." His eyes narrowed slightly, but acted as if she wasn't worth anger. "But you're just like the rest of them... so easily broken..."

"Well what do you expect!?" Came a rather unexpected shout from the raven-haired girl. She was staring at him, and though tears were still streaming down her face, it was almost like part of what he said made sense... if not in a disturbing, utterly terrifying manner. She was still terrified of him... but... gods. She didn't even know anymore. "Danny please..." her voice quieted, begging. "_Please_..." What was she pleading him for? Her freedom? For him to come back? Could he even come back? She didn't know what she wanted now, everything was happening to fast, and she didn't have any time to think about anything at all. She had no time to think things through, no time to react the way she so dearly wanted to... or really, the courage.

Unfazed, he continued to stare down at her with a stagnant expression. "Please? Please _what_?" He nearly snapped at her, before tilting his head down just slightly, eyes leering at her. "Do you expect me to obey any wish that comes from your lips? Nine Hells, you should be following my every command!"

"I don't even know what you want!" She screamed, a broken sob following her words. "I feel like I don't know anything about you anymore!"

"Honestly, it doesn't _matter_ if you know what I want." He shot back, obviously feeling no pity for her sobs and strangled words. "I have power over your entire species - my word is now your _law_. If I give you a command, you _obey_, lest you wish for death."

"But you're human too, Danny..." She whispered quietly, dropping her gaze from him, staring at the floor. "...somewhere."

The slightest bit of recognition washed over his features, before he smiled coyly. "Oh... so that's what this is about." He laughed, raising his hand to his forehead in a comical gesture. "Of course..." His laughter died instantly as he tilted his head to the side, grinning to no one in particular. "You believe I'm still human... then, dear Sammy..." He dropped his hand, turning towards her as he advanced upon her huddled form, kneeling down to the floor in attempt to level his gaze with hers. "How about I humor you?" His sadistic grin faded into a warm, familiar smile as his bright silver hair seemed to fade into a cool raven black. And almost in an instant, Phantom was replaced with the welcoming sight of Danny - her Danny. And his smile... it wasn't broken... it was loving...

She let out a gasp, her eyes looking up, wide as dinner plates as she met with familiar face, those familiar eyes... that smile, that... _God_. She let out a choked sob, her body trembling with a different kind of shiver. What if it was a trick...? But she was too relived to see this face to even fully consider that, and she found one of her hands reaching out towards his face-the one that belonged to the boy she loved so much. It stopped just inches from touching it, however, her breath caught in her throat, unable to speak.

His deep blue eyes continued to stay locked with her own, his expression lax and comforting. "Sam," He whispered softly, and saying nothing more before he slowly reached out, placing his hand over her own so that her skin gently touched his cheek., as if wanting to prove to her he's real.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, but this time, it wasn't' from fear. She kept her wide eyes fixed on his face, her mouth opening slowly and she finished reaching out, just barely touching the very edge of his face. "...Danny...?"

The very moment he heard the recognition in her voice, the very sliver of hope that allowed her to speak, his warm blue eyes dulled, and his eyelids drooped to their familiar state of indifference - and yet a hint of sadistic amusement. "So that's it." He said with a terrifying grin, not taking the time to change back into his ghostly alter ego. With fluid movement, he stood back up to his feet, completely disregarding Sam. It was truly horrifying... how he reached out for her, giving her the tiniest bit of hope, just enough to break her resolve... before brutally shattering it once more, making her relive the excruciating pain of realizing 'her' Danny was long gone. "Your fear stems from the disbelief... your naive, pathetic mind can't seem to connect my existence with that of a ghost?" He looked back towards her, green light wild in his eyes as he let out a booming laugh. "So the pain you feel now... is your fault?" He gazed at her with a deadly stare, all light gone from his eyes, darkening his features. "Such a shame..."

Her heart dropped the moment his attitude changed, the thin blossom of hope that she had wilting and dying out. She dropped her hand, staring up at him in horror. "No..." She whimpered. Tiny tears pricked at the edges of her eyes again. "Please, _Danny_..." She begged. He was gone... _oh God_. The tears on the edges of her eyes slid down her cheeks, but no more came out after that. She had finally run out.

_Danny was gone._

Within seconds, all signs of amusement washed away from his features. To him, this was a game... and a game is no fun if the other player isn't living up to his expectations. "Oh come now, Sammy..." He took one step closer, folding his arms and cocking his head slightly to one side, looking down at her with a condescending gaze. "Where did all of that will go? You used to be strong..." His lips curled into a faint smile, before he lifted one leg - and shoved his foot into her chest, forcing her roughly down onto her back, not once lifting the nearly painful pressure he held on her. "Now you're reduced to nothing but a quivering insect. And to think I wanted to make you my queen..."

She cried out in pain from the blow, her features twisting in pain. The foot on her chest made it very hard to breathe, and she found herself gasping for breath, only able to get it in little patches. She shivered, half-fearing for her life... but part of her didn't really care anymore, and that was the part that had died the moment she had learned that Danny was gone. He asked why her will was gone, but it should have been painfully obvious why it was.

Once again her efforts (or lack thereof) were met with something akin to a glare, as if he was disappointed that she was struggling to breath. He let out a loud, forced sigh before he finally lifted his foot from her chest, temporarily letting her feel the warmth of relief. But that fleeting moment was soon tossed aside like a wishful memory, as the familiar blue light flashed momentarily, once again replacing the somewhat comforting sight of Danny with the Ghost King. "If you refuse to be of any worth, I'll just get rid of you." He reached down, roughly grabbing the collar of her shirt and lifting her up to her feet - where her gaze was met with an almost wild grin, Phantom's hand raised back as a fiery emerald glow began to encase his fist. "Don't worry... I won't kill you." He gave her a mockingly sweet smile. "I'll have fun with you first... see how long it takes to break that last strand of humanity..."

She shuddered under his touch, her eyes forced to stare into his. "Unh..." She let out a soft sob. "Don't..." She spoke finally. "_Please_, Danny... just let me go." She softly begged, her desire to live finally winning out by a thread... for now, at least. "_Just let me go home_..."

"What, and miss all this fun?" He grinned with sadistic pleasure, bringing his hand forward enough to let the green flames from his hand lick the front of her shirt - surprisingly not burning the material, but the searing heat was definitely felt. "But do keep those pleads up... I may just end up letting you go..." He mocked her, slowly moving the flames up closer to her face.

She winced sharply in pain, just the heat was enough to cause a reaction. "Danny..." She sobbed. "_Please_..."

His eyes leered with satisfaction for but a moment in time... but in a flash, they snapped wide open - and his grip on her shirt loosened, before he completely let her go, letting her fall back on her feet, whether they were sturdy or not. Wide emerald eyes practically shook, blue and white flashing over his iris as his legs began to shake like broken twigs on a tree. He swiftly retreated his hands, holding his head as if his head was splitting in two - an his eyes clenched shut almost painfully. "_S-Sam_...!" He whimpered, taking a few shaky steps back away from her. "No..._can't_..." He whimpered, further words incomprehensive.

Her heart lurched at the sudden change, but this had happened before, and she found herself shoving away the hope all too soon. Her legs were shaking too badly to support herself, and she found herself collapsing on the floor. She shuddered violently, pulling her legs up close to herself, but she still couldn't manage to wrench her eyes away from him. She breathed in gasps, wondering how many times he was going to play this game with her.

The Ghost King let out quick, ragged breaths, his broken psyche desperately trying to heal itself... and yet a part of his mind willed it to stay, his inner subconscious terrified of the pain that would proceed after the inevitable. "R-Run..." He managed to choke out, straining to open his eyes and focus them on the huddled form of his former friend. "_Sam_...!" Please god... run away... Before I lose sight again...!

Her heart broke at the sound of his voice, suddenly recognizing that this wasn't a trick. _That this was really him_. She scrambled to her feet, her mouth moving as if she really wanted to say something... But she bit down on her lip, stopping herself. After a long look at him, she turned on her heels and ran from the room as quickly as she could. She was running blind, she had no idea where she was going… but whatever was left of her strength kept pushing her forward – and at last she ran through the castle gate, feet at last touching familiar grassy earth.

But that was as far as she got.

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Ooh hoo ho! Another cliffie. God I love those. 3 Feel free to leave flames, peeps. (Sorry Becky, I edited your last post just a bit to make it more acceptable as a chapter ending)

Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter, but like I said, I haven't been able to RP nearly as much lately. Becky nor I intend to abandon this fic, but it may just take a while for each chapter to pop up.

Much love

Zoey


	6. The Fentons

Hey hey! Guess who's back with another chapter:o Oh em gee.

This little bit was written exclusively by me alone, so the structure may be a little bit different than the norm. But that's okay, right?

Right?

-Watches more anime about vampires- :D

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Chapter Six

_The Fentons_

"Mom, dad…" The red-headed girl gripped the sides of the couch, the fabric crumpling under her hands as she stiffened slightly in her seat. "You _have_ to believe me. I've been Danny's confidant for over two years now!"

The Fenton household has been a nearly deafening silent for hours, though anxiety has been bubbling in everyone's minds, growing at an exponential rate. The longer Maddie and Jack Fenton refused to talk, the more Jazz grew restless – and despite her best attempts, she hasn't been able to get any sort of positive remark from either of her parents.

"I really hate to say it….but guys," She drew in a short breath, a thread of guilt pulling at her heart. "But I know more about Danny than anyone else. Sometimes he used to say I understand him better than he does himself…"

"Jazz," Maddie's voice cut her off in a delicately sharp tone, her back turned towards her daughter as she dusted the fireplace mantle for the sixth time that night. It seemed the only time she felt somewhat at ease, somewhat able to dull the pain, is when she kept herself busy… and she honestly felt nowhere near the mood for working on her ghost hunting inventions. So by now, the house was nearly spotless thanks to her. "We hear what you're saying, honey. It's just…." Her hand slowed to a stop, the feather duster laying atop the wooden surface. "I'm not sure what to believe, or what to hope for anymore. The fact that Danny's been keeping this a secret from us for so long…"

"Well of course he would!" Jazz defended swiftly, violet eyes fixated on her mother, though they had barely made eye contact at all that evening. "You and dad were constantly trying to catch ghosts, experiment on them, or _dispose_ of them. Danny was terrified that because you hate ghosts so much, that you wouldn't accept him!"

"He's our _son_!" Maddie turned around, revealing her blood-shot eyes and tear-stained cheeks, her hand letting go of the feather duster as it fell uselessly to the ground at her feet. "Of course we would accept him! We _love_ him!"

"Then why is this so hard for you?" Her daughter's voice replied quietly, meeting her eyes with a puzzled look. "Right now, he needs acceptance more than anything…."

Maddie fell silent, her gaze falling down towards the floor, looking at her feet in shame and guilt. Why was this so different? Before Danny succeeded Pariah Dark, it would have been so easy for her to accept her baby boy for whatever he may be. But now….it's almost painful it's so hard to feel acceptance for her only son. She still loves him, yes… but he's changed. _So much_.

"Jazz," Her father spoke quietly, his daughter lifting her head up with a hint of surprise. She had almost forgotten he was sitting at the other end of the coffee table, he had been so silent. Usually, one could never get him to shut up, but now he barely spoke a word. "I think this is so painful for us _because_ we want to accept him."

"Then why don't you?" She shook her head negatively, almost glaring at her father with ice cold violet eyes. "This… this entire ordeal is happening simply because Danny's just a teenager. He had no idea how to handle these torrents of emotions he has to deal with every single day. And it's only worsened since he became the Ghost King…"

"Even if it is that simple, dear…" Maddie spoke up once more, bending down and picking up the feather duster, but didn't continue to use it – and instead held it uselessly at her side. "That still doesn't change the fact that Danny's actions today were…. _Questionable_. Your father and I always thought Phantom was a menace, just like every other ghost out there…. I mean, he constantly courted danger, and ended up costing the town thousands of dollars in property damage…"

"That's just because he was trying to protect us." Jazz stated firmly, now staring at the coffee table in front of her, as if refusing to make eye contact with her parents at this time. "That's all he was concerned with. He got bullied every day in school, his grades have been slipping drastically, he's been labeled and outcast – and still, the first thing that was on his mind was, how he could protect you. Protect _us_. Because he felt he was the only one who could."

"Danny knew well we can take care of ourselves." Her mother replied softly, her voice wavering from trying to convince her daughter, or trying to convince herself.

"Why are you speaking of him in past tense? Danny's still here!"

"No he's _not_, Jazz!" Maddie finally caved in, fresh tears trailing down her cheeks as her eyes squinted, a burning sensation returning once more. "Did you not see him today? He almost killed a classmate! Danny would never wish harm on others… that's _not_ my son out there!"

Another deafening silence fell throughout the household, and even Jack felt the weight that hung in the air after his wife force-fed Jazz exactly what she was trying to say all this time. And in truth, he felt the same way… How could he believe that monster out there was truly his son? It was cruel, yes… but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Danny has changed, and for the worse.

"I…" Jazz stuttered, staring at her mother with wide eyes in disbelief. "I can't believe you just said that…"

And instead of hearing the anticipated protest from the older woman, she was met with a guilty gaze that slowly reverted back to the floor.

"Y-You're kidding, right?" She whispered, voice so pathetically hopeful is was beginning to make her eyes water. "I mean… There's a _reason_ Danny's doing this. He's just confused, he's scared, he's-"

"He's _changed_, sweetie." Jack replied solemnly. "Anyone can see that."

"So now that he's changed, he's not your son anymore?!" Jazz stood to her feet, staring down at her father incredulously. "I can't _believe_ you two! The moment things start looking grim, you… you back away from the problem you can so easily see through, and blame it on your _son_?!"

"Jazz, that's _not_ the issue here!" Maddie replied harshly. "Whether or not we accept him now, it's not going to make a difference."

"And how do you know that?" Violet eyes clashed in a stare-down, each set ice cold. "You're beginning to confuse your preconceived assumption of Phantom's personality with Danny's! Mom, you're dividing what you _want_ to believe, and what you _should_ believe!"

"Then what should I believe?" Her mother asked with a shaking voice. "_Tell_ me then."

Jazz blinked, taken aback by that comment. She never expected either of her parents to ask her that… not after what she's been telling them all along. "I know how Danny's mind works." She said simply, folding her hands idly in her lap, her gaze once again finding refuge at the coffee table. A pause of silence let her know she could continue. She was in her prime, at last… maybe she could convince them now. "His psyche is no different than a normal teenage boy's… except for the fact that he's been under an incomprehensible amount of stress these past two years, it's a wonder he's been able to stay in school."

"After everything that's happened, I've noticed Danny barely got any sleep at night... if anything at all. He's been constantly trying to keep waves of imperial ghosts that once served Pariah Dark in his kingdom from coming to earth, because he never wanted to rule the Ghost Zone… or earth. He's been wanting to _protect_ it."

"If he wants to protect us so much, why is he doing this?" Her father asked quietly.

"Because his emotions are in such a tangle, he isn't sure how to handle them anymore. Look…" She sighed softly before continuing. "Any person you come across will have the same reaction to negative emotions like fear and anxiety. If someone like Danny, who's already slightly unstable from exhaustion, they unconsciously go through something call a 'replacement method'. If he was to be subject to an immense amount of near paralyzing dread, like he went through today at school, the first defensive act the mind does is to replace that fear with something more manageable. Even the sanest person will turn that negative emotion into anger, because it's one of the easiest for the mind to process… and it also allows that person to vent their frustration. It's simple, it's fast, and it's easy. But like you said, it's not always pretty."

"Especially for such a powerful ghost." Maddie added in an almost bitter tone, but Jazz could tell that she was beginning to show recognition – which was the first step she needed to gain from them.

"But it's a normal human function – and if you haven't forgotten, Danny's still half human." Her daughter insisted. "No matter what happens, that's still the route he's going to take. He's gained a few personality quirks along with being half ghost – like his slightly elevated obsession over certain things, and having a bit more of a temper. But he's still human. That's why I know we can still reach Danny, even if he's in such an emotional rage."

Both of her parents replied with silence for the first few moments, trying to process the information the young teenager was relaying to them. It couldn't possibly be that simple, could it? "_Then_ what, Jazz?" Jack asked in a sincere tone.

"What Danny needs now more than anything is acceptance by the ones he loves. Because he feels so alone, it will only feed the problem he has right now. If his family and his friends come to accept him, that will allow him to take a step closer to humanity, because he'll know he's no longer in an impossible situation anymore."

"That's so easy to say, but…" Maddie bit her lip, trying her best to keep an open mind, but hesitation was still thickly lining her voice. "It's still so hard for me to associate my little boy with Phantom…."

"Then try harder." Her daughter's reply was met with silence. Slowly she felt her resolve thicken, and she clenched her fists, taking the first few steps to the front door. "If you aren't going to do anything, then _I_ will."

"Jazz, wait!" Her mother stopped her before she reached the door, Jack immediately getting to his feet to do the same. "You can't go out there… what if you get hurt? Or killed?"

"Danny would never kill me!" Jazz yelled, wrenching out of her parent's hold. "If anything, he _needs_ me! If you, Tucker and Sam won't do anything to help him, who will?"

With that she stepped forward and flung the door open, bolting out to the sidewalk at the front of their house – her parents close behind her in a flurry of confusion and worry.

And not seconds after Jazz felt she was free, the ground began to shake violently, knocking her roughly to her knees. Faint voices from farther in the city could be heard as the earthquake began to magnify, the entire brick building of Fentonworks creaking in protest.

Hestiantly, Jazz steadied herself back to her feet, red hair partially covering her eyes as she looked back at her parents. They had stopped dead in their tracks….. but why? Slowly the young teen looked up, following their gazes towards the sky – and immediately her face paled in horror.

Not far in the distance, a towering ghostly castle began to emerge from beyond the park, miasma and broken earth falling from the tallest spires.

"No…." Jazz whispered, voice shaking. "_Danny_…."

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Yes, I know, it's a bit short. But don't worry, I'll have the next chapter up soon – a short bit written by DiscordianSamba focusing around a single supporting character, and his or her separate views with the current situation in the story. Who is it? Hmm… you'll just have to wait!

So until next time, y'all ;3

Zoey


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